Russian city honours 'Unknown Plumber'

The statue has been praised for capturing real life

Plumbers have long been the subject of curses and jokes, but one Russian city is finally giving them the recognition they feel they deserve.

A monument to the "Unknown Plumber" has been unveiled in Yekaterinburg, an industrial city in the Ural Mountains.

Without plumbers we would live in filth

Local woman

Municipal workers praised the sculptor for creating their cast-iron colleague, saying he reflected life itself.

Russian TV6 showed pictures of the statue, which depicts a plumber taking a break after carrying out routine maintenance down a manhole.

A dirty job

Some Russians would say that taking a break is what plumbers do best.

A recent comment in The Moscow Times recounts how a 78-year-old woman waited more than a month for a plumber to turn up for a 30-minute job.

The statue's spanner is identical to a professional plumber's

All that time, the woman had to carry water in buckets from her neighbour.

But according to a Soviet-era joke, a month's wait is nothing:

Having saved all his life to buy a car, Yevgeny was told that the car would be delivered in 10 years.

Unfazed, Yevgeny asks: "Is that 10 years in the morning, or in the afternoon?"

"Ten years, 10 years! What does it matter?" the clerk yells in exasperation.

"Well, the plumber will be coming in the morning," Yevgeny replies.

Civic pride

Although plumbers do not always get the best publicity, Yekaterinburgers have taken the monument to their hearts.

Job done, the plumber takes a break

Indeed, the Unknown Plumber has already been named A.N. Borshchev - after the lead character, a plumber, in Georgy Daneliya's movie "Afonya".

Local residents said the dark tones lent an air of realism to the work.

"This is not just a glossy image, but a real plumber at work," a passer-by told the TV station.

"They did not depict him looking clean and nice, but showed him doing his job," she said.

"True, his job is dirty, but it is noble because without plumbers we would live in filth."

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